A wheelchair user has been left covered in cuts and bruises after waiting 14 months for a council to provide him with a disabled toilet.

Peter Ashworth, from Ashford, has primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) and relies on a motorised wheelchair to help him get around.

Since October 2022, occupational therapists have said five times that he needs a more accessible loo – but the 43-year-old is still waiting.

It means the bathroom in his apartment in Berry Place, an independent living facility owned by Ashford Borough Council (ABC), doesn't have handles to support him and the toilet is not high enough.

As a result, he often falls, causing himself serious injuries – including hitting his head on the sink and being knocked out.

His mother Phoebe Hubbard told KentOnline: “This is a huge loss of dignity for Peter. Everybody needs the loo – it is not right he has to suffer like this.”

She explained that her son previously lived in a council property in Willesborough which required toilet adaptations. But as the house was too old, the changes could not be made and in November 2022 he was put on the housing transfer list.

Mr Ashworth was then offered an apartment in Berry Place which he was told was accessible.

While it has a fully adapted kitchen with rise and fall surfaces, the toilet is not disability-adapted and the doors are not big enough to get his power chair through comfortably.

Mrs Hubbard explained: “When Peter was first offered the flat we were delighted because it is nice and spacious and warm.

“But when we came to view it with three people from ABC, we said at the time the toilet was again not right as it was not disability-adapted.

“It needs to be lengthened. It needs to be higher and have handlebars and they said at the time they would promise to get that sorted.

“But because Peter had moved he needed yet another assessment from the occupational therapist.

“They wrote another letter to ABC saying we need this toilet – but it's now December 2023 and there is still no sign of it.

“Because Peter has nothing to hold on to when he goes to the toilet he sometimes falls off and he has hurt his arms, knees, legs and feet.

“Then he has to force himself back into the chair – and if he falls off, he has to crawl back to the chair.

“The floor has a rough surface which takes all the skin off his legs and he has sores on his feet.”

Using the toilet in its current form means Mr Ashworth takes risks every day and has already seriously injured himself multiple times.

Mr Ashworth explained: “I knocked my head on the sink and knocked myself out once, sadly.

“Having bars would help me to transfer out of my chair without issue.

“I wish I could go to the loo peacefully but that is too much to ask at the moment.

“Thank goodness I have Mum to help me. Without her fighting for me, I would be stuck.

“I don't hold my breath anymore. I wish I didn't have this problem but I do.

“The doors also need widening because I keep knocking them and taking the paint off.”

Mrs Hubbard added: “Everybody living in Berry Place has a vulnerability, so the toilets should have been disability-adapted from the start.

“What's the point in putting in all these fancy sinks and hobs which can be lowered in height for wheelchair users if you're not going to have doors that are wide enough or toilets that are usable?

“Nobody seems to want to take responsibility.

“Because it is a council property, only they can do the work. We are not allowed to do it ourselves because it comes from a fund.

“Every time I ring I'm told I'll get a call back and I don't.

“We have had five occupational therapy reports now and they have all said the same thing – yet we are still waiting.

“Because they are taking so long, we have said forget about making the doors wider for now. We can cope with that more than we can cope without the toilet.

“We then had a letter saying the finance had been approved, so it is not about money.”

After several complaints, phone calls and visits, ABC has promised to make the changes – but Mr Ashworth is still waiting.

A spokesman for Ashford Borough Council said that Berry Place is a brand new development built to modern standards and the current building regulations.

They added: “The apartment in question is built to Part M mobility standards of the building regulations, which includes widths of doorways and appropriate flooring.

“These standards do not include the provision of specialist toilets which are specified and ordered bespoke to each client’s needs.

“As a specialist item, the toilet is built on demand and there is a delivery time which the council has no control over. These toilets cost several thousand pounds each and are not stock items.

“Occupational therapists (OT) visited the property, assessed the needs of the client and made a referral which we received in late July 2023.

“We had to clarify the requirements and equipment needed for technical reasons and the fact that needs changed subsequent to receiving the OT recommendations.

“We placed orders for the works in November and we are currently waiting for an installation date for the toilet.

“We offered to install drop-down rails to assist in transferring to the toilet but this was declined by the family as they wanted to wait for the new toilet to be installed first.

“The occupational therapists considered the need for extra ordinary width doorways and declined to recommend.

“Officers from the council have visited the apartment at Berry Place numerous times and have never witnessed the resident having difficulty in navigating through doorways around his home.”